Passengers narrowly escaped a potential didaster after a VIP bus they were scheduled to board from Abuakwa to Accra was destroyed by fire at Abuakwa in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

In a statement issued by the management of VIP JEOUN Transport Company Limited, it said the bus conductor, Kwaku Apai, reported seeing smoke from the stationary coach at about 6:45 pm and rushed to switch off power supply system to the coach.

He subsequently informed the station supervisor, who accordingly called in the Fire Service.

It said the coach was waiting nearby and would have moved at 9:30 pm to scale to start loading and boarding, disputing claims that passengers escaped from the bus while it was on fire.

"A relieving coach has been positioned as the relevant authorities help unravel the cause of the fire and subsequent removal of the debris. VIP JEOUN is committed to safe and comfortable travel," the statement noted.

An eyewitness, Ofori Boateng, said, “When the vehicle started smoking, within less than five minutes, the whole bus was engulfed in flames,” he said.

Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality responded to the incident and worked to extinguish the blaze, but the vehicle had already sustained extensive damage.

The incident also caused heavy traffic along the Abuakwa stretch of the road. Police officers were deployed to the area to manage the situation and help ease congestion.